Woman Makes Sister Cry When She Explains Why She Agrees To Watch Brother’s Kids And Not Hers

Working from home is still working. You have your responsibilities, and you need to deliver, whether you go into the office or remain in your living room in your pajamas.

So whenever Reddit user Last_Home_6544‘s sister asks her to look after her kids, the woman says no—they’re just too much for her to handle.

But recently, there was an emergency. Her 4-year-old nephew got suspended from preschool, leaving her sibling with no other option but to plead with her to make an exception.

This woman has never watched her sister’s kids because they’re too high-maintenance for her

Woman stressed while babysitting a child, both seated on a couch in a home setting.

Image credits: bearfotos / Freepik (not the actual photo)

And after she refused the last time, things got heated between the two of them

Text excerpt about a woman babysitting brother's kids often, refusing to help her sister, causing family tension.

Text about quiet, well-behaved twins who enjoy reading and gaming, possibly on the spectrum.

Text detailing a woman's experience regularly babysitting her brother's kids and being their emergency contact.

Text about a woman babysitting her brother's kids often due to his work in healthcare.

Text excerpt discussing watching twins while working from home, mentioning their independence.

Text excerpt about woman babysitting brother's kids willingly for payment.

Text about woman babysitting sister's kids, 7m, 4m, 2m, highlighting challenges with the children's behavior.

Text describing refusing to babysit sister's high-maintenance kids despite frequent requests.

Text about a woman frequently babysitting, her husband leaving, and issues with her child's behavior at preschool.

Woman frustrated at home, expressing refusal, hands raised.

Image credits: The Yuri Arcurs Collection / Freepik (not the actual photo)

Text conversation showing a woman's refusal to babysit her sister's kids due to work commitments.

Text discussing babysitting brother's kids and work conflict.

Text conversation about babysitting brother's kids, not sister's.

Text image discussing babysitting differences between brother's easy kids and sister's challenging kids.

Text discussing family dynamics and childcare responsibilities.

Image credits: Last_Home_6544

Vicki Broadbent of Honest Mum says parenting was never meant to be a one-person effort

Stepmom Tries To Censor What 16YO Reads, He Decides Not To Visit His Dad Anymore

Image credits: Dreamy Fox Photography

Vicki Broadbent is the founder of the family blog Honest Mum and a multi-award-winning TV broadcaster and author of The Working Mom: Your Guide to Surviving and Thriving at Work and at Home.

She told Bored Panda, “It takes a village to raise a child, and that village is even more critical when one parent is essentially doing two parents’ jobs.”

“It’s not unreasonable for a single mom or any mom or dad to reach out to their family members for help with their children, provided those they are asking are able and willing to help and are suitable, e.g., have experience around children and are to be trusted, “Broadbent explained.

“Being a mother and the default/only parent is exhausting mentally and physically, so it’s important to rest where possible so you are able to show up as your best self. Parenting was never originally meant to happen in this way; relatives or close friends and neighbours were always meant to support and help raise younger children, as they so often do in the animal world.”

The woman’s concern about her job is understandable

Image credits: Image by Freepik (not the actual photo)

There’s a good reason why remote workers keep emphasizing that they can’t just run errands whenever someone asks them to.

Workers logging on from home five days a week were 35% more likely to be laid off in 2023 than their peers who put in office time, according to an analysis of two million white-collar workers conducted by employment data provider Live Data Technologies.

The data showed 10% of fully remote workers were laid off that year, compared with 7% of those working in an office full time or on a hybrid basis.

“When a hiring manager gets news they have to cut 10% of the staff, it’s easier to put someone on the list you don’t have a close personal relationship with,” said Andy Challenger, senior vice president at Challenger, Gray & Christmas, an outplacement firm. Much of the disparity, according to him, is that it’s simply harder to build attachments to people you don’t see face-to-face.

However, who are single parents to ask for help if not their family?

Image credits: Image by Freepik (not the actual photo)

The Harris Poll found that over a third of working parents who rely on unpaid childcare (35%) say this allows them to have increased flexibility in work schedules.

4 in 5 working parents who rely on grandmothers for childcare say the care they provide allows them to pursue their career goals.

When asked what impact that lack of access to unpaid childcare would have on their work situations, parents mention needing special accommodations at work (33%), not being able to manage their current workload (28%), and that their quality of work would suffer (27%).

Additionally, 1 in 5 working parents who rely on unpaid childcare say they would have to quit their jobs without this support.

Life is messy. Stuff happens. And if a single mom with three kids can’t get anyone from her family to help her, where else is she supposed to go?

“I think if you don’t have a village, it is worth saving to pay for additional help where possible, or at least if you require urgent or emergency care, such as hiring babysitters or paying for breakfast and after-school clubs,” Vicki Broadbent added. “If this doesn’t work, consider building your own village with close friends in a similar situation to you.”

Vicki, who is a mom of three herself, has lived many hours from family and knows this situation well. “We built a close network of friends close to us, and we all supported one another with shared school runs and childcare plus emergency care,” she said.

“There will always be other parents whom you can help in return, building your own community, if you are unable to find that in your own family.”

Many people believe it was okay for the woman to refuse

Reddit post discussing a woman's refusal to babysit her sister's kids despite pleas.

Text discussion about a woman refusing to babysit her sister's kids while regularly babysitting her brother's children.

Comment discussing work and babysitting conflict, addressing sister's understanding in a family responsibility context.

Text comment discussing refusal to babysit sister's child due to behavioral issues.

Text discussing babysitting brother's self-sufficient kids and not helping sister's energetic children, to avoid risking work.

Reddit comment on babysitting, discussing why OP's sister struggles to find help.

Screenshot of a text comment about a woman babysitting her brother's kids but not her sister's.

Text exchange discussing why babysitting brother's kids is easier than sister's, highlighting work challenges.

Reddit comment discussing a woman's refusal to babysit her sister's kids, addressing entitlement issues.

Comment about a woman babysitting brother's kids but not helping her sister, mentioning fairness in job loss.

Comment discussing babysitting challenges and sibling support, with user suggesting financial help for a sister's childcare needs.

Text conversation discussing why a woman babysits her brother's kids but refuses to help her sister.

Text discussing parenting challenges, kids' behavior, and support needs with a focus on sister's overwhelmed situation.

Text discussing family support and a woman's choice of babysitting sibling's kids.

And some even shared their own similar stories

Text detailing sibling babysitting dynamics, focusing on the refusal to help a sister despite her pleas.

Text about babysitting siblings, discussing work-from-home jobs and differing family expectations.

But others believe she should have been more empathetic

Online discussion about babysitting preferences and family bias.

Reddit comment discussing family dynamics, mentioning babysitting siblings' kids, financial help, and obligation.

Reddit comment criticizing a woman's babysitting style for her brother's kids.

Online comment discussing a woman's babysitting choices for family members' kids.

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